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One 100-year-old oak tree crashed down on the first day of a vacation. Minutes after James and his partner Andrew had finished breakfasting on the terrace, the enormous tree smashed their table and chairs and damaged their rental car's windscreen.

The vacation home in Provence, France was engulfed by branches that broke the living room window and damaged the roof. "I was convinced the ceiling would cave in," James remembers. "If it had fallen moments earlier, we could have been critically hurt or fatally wounded."

Had it fallen moments earlier we would have been critically hurt or fatally wounded

Emergency repairs took a full day after the host winched the tree off the property, but the shaken couple feared the building might be structurally unsound and chose to reserve a hotel for the remainder of their week-long stay.

The booking platform showed little concern. "We recognize this may have caused some disruption," stated the first of many similar automated messages before closing the pending case with a upbeat "Stay safe. Stay healthy."

The host also showed little concern. "The only incident was you experienced a loud sound and observed a tree resting on the terrace," she replied to the couple's refund request. "You have chosen to focus on the worry and trauma rather than cherishing a special memory."

Peak Season Travel Problems Surface

With the peak travel period has concluded, numerous holiday horror stories are emerging.

Unfortunate travelers report being locked in or locked out their accommodation – when it existed – or left stranded at night in strange cities when it wasn't. Stories include filthy bedrooms, unsafe equipment and unauthorized sublets. One common factor unites these spoiled holidays: they were reserved through digital reservation services that declined refunds.

The expansion of rental platforms has led to a increase in travelers organizing their own holidays. These platforms showcase global property portfolios on their platforms and guarantee to fulfill travel dreams on a budget.

Consumer protections, though, have not kept pace with their popularity.

Regulatory Gaps

All-inclusive customers have legal recourse for holiday nightmares under travel protection regulations, but those who book accommodation through third-party platforms find themselves dependent on their host's willingness to help.

Some platforms promote additional protections, but your agreement is with the person or business providing the accommodation.

James and Andrew had spent £931 for their week in the Provençal cottage and when they felt sufficiently endangered to return, ended up paying twice that for a hotel. They have yet to receive notification about whether they are liable for the broken rental car. Despite the platform's guarantee program to reimburse customers for serious problems, the company stated it was up to the host to approve a refund; the host claimed the determination was the platform's.

After 10 weeks of similar automated messages in response to James's complaint, the platform announced the case had continued long enough and abruptly ended it. The host concluded that since repairs had cost her €5,000 (£4,350), she would not be providing a refund either. She proposed that instead the couple commemorate their survival and "transform the event into a beautiful story."

The platform finally issued a full refund along with a £500 voucher after inquiries were raised about its health and safety policies.

Trapped

Kim Pocock used a booking platform to reserve a flat for a two-night stay in Barcelona. She and her daughter were stuck inside the property for most of their only full day in the city after a safety lock on the front door malfunctioned.

"The host sent a maintenance man, who was could not to help," she states. "Finally they sent a locksmith who tried for multiple hours to access the lock from the outside. He had to buy a rope, which he threw up to our window and we hoisted up a wrench and pliers. With us levering the lock from the inside and the locksmith hammering it from the outside, we finally managed to extract it. It was discovered loose screws had blocked the mechanism. By then it was nearly 4pm."

We would have been at serious risk if there had been an crisis while we were locked in, yet the host blamed us for using the lock

Pocock asked for a complete reimbursement to compensate her ruined trip and the stress. The booking platform indicated this was at the discretion of the host. The host not only declined, but withheld her €250 deposit to pay for the new lock. The deposit was eventually returned by the platform but Pocock felt she was due the €446 rental cost.

Another platform customer, Philip, was trapped outside the London flat he booked for £70 when, upon attempting to check in, he found the key safe empty. The owners informed him they were abroad and could not help and advised him to locate alternative accommodation for the night. He spent an extra £123 on a hotel room and has spent the intervening four months trying unsuccessfully to get this reimbursed.

"The platform has essentially said that as the owner isn't responding to them there's nothing they can do," he says. "I can't comprehend how a business can operate this way with no responsibility. The additional disappointment is that the property in question is continues being advertised on the platform."

The platform refunded both customers after intervention. The company verified the host who had locked Philip out of his rental had not responded to its inquiries. When asked why unscrupulous accommodation providers were not delisted, it said customers should review guest feedback to ensure a property was "the right fit."

Review Processes

Ratings do not always reveal the whole story. A recent investigation highlighted that one platform's standard setup was displaying reviews it considered "relevant." This means that it is simple for users to miss a recent deluge of reviews warning that a listing is a fraud or not available.

The platform responded that customers could readily sort reviews by the most recent or worst ratings so as to make their own decision on a property.

The same report stated that listings that had been multiple times reported as scams were not removed. The platform responded that it depended on hosts to abide by its terms and conditions and ensure that booking information was current.

Legal Grey Area

The issue for travelers who do not get what they paid for is that their legal agreement is with the accommodation provider rather than the booking platform.

Major platforms promise to help find alternative accommodation in an crisis, but getting payment for a interrupted stay is a tougher battle. Both typically rely on the owner to do the right thing.

The sector needs greater regulation, according to consumer advocates. "Because online platforms effectively self-regulate, the only course of action if the dispute continues is lawsuits," analysts say. "But who against? As the contract is between you and the host you'd have to take legal action in their country."

They continue: "One might claim that the online marketplace failed to look into your complaint properly and try to pursue them, but this is a legal uncertainty. Both companies are registered overseas and have significant financial resources."

Government authorities say new consumer protection legislation requires online platforms to "exercise professional diligence" in relation to consumer transactions promoted or made on their platforms.

A spokesperson says: "Government agencies are on the side of consumers and we have implemented tough new financial penalties for violations of consumer law to safeguard people's money."

They added: "Companies selling services to domestic consumers must follow local law, and we have strengthened regulatory authorities' powers to make sure they face severe penalties if they do not."